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What The Uncharted Movie Will Include From The Games

Fans of the popular video game series Uncharted got a surprise recently when a long-gestating movie adaptation that many had considered a fully-stalled project was revived as a fast-track project for director Shawn Levy and screenwriter Joe Carnahan. Now, concerns turn from whether or not the film will happen to how faithful it will (or won't) be to the original games, which follow a group of treasure hunters on globe-trotting action-packed exploits.

Now, director Levy tells Screen Rant what fans can look forward to and what drew him to the project in the first place.

While best known for family comedies like the Pink Panther remake and Night At The Museum, Levy has made industry waves this year as the producer of the alien-contact science fiction drama Arrival and Netflix's Stranger Things. In an interview regarding those projects with Screen Rant, Levy also talked about his plans for Uncharted and just how familiar he is with the hit game franchise:

"[Laughs] We’re very much still in the process – me and [writer] Joe Carnahan – working very closely together regarding story, regarding casting (which I really can’t say anything about yet and won’t). This is the kind of movie… as a game, I’ve loved it for a long time, I think it’s got an exceptionally cinematic nature. And as a movie, y’know… we’ll deliver on the action, the adventure, the wit that people expect from this great treasure-hunting franchise."

However, the filmmaker stopped short of confirming whether or not familiar story elements from the games will make it into the film:

"I feel like, really, in each of its four iterations – it’s evolved of course – but it’s kept the DNA of its tone and its characters, and (to tie it back to Arrival and Stranger Things), at this point in my career I am partial to character-driven, high-concept entertainment. And what I love is that, just as Arrival is an alien invasion movie that’s about a linguist and Stranger Things is a fantasy/mystery series about kids in early-'80s Indiana, Uncharted is a globe-trotting adventure series; but it is always above all rooted in Nathan, Sully and Elena. They’re such great three-dimensional characters, and that’s the way the movie is going to be built as well."

Often described as a modern-day equivalent to the Indiana Jones franchise, Uncharted follows Nathan Drake (a supposed descendant of explorer Sir Francis Drake) as he and his colleagues chase down ancient lost treasures and mix it up with villains and criminals who often seek the same spoils or to otherwise impede their progress. No casting or storyline decisions regarding the film have yet been revealed, but the production is said to be targeting a sooner rather than later start date.

Uncharted is currently without an official release date, but appears to be moving on-course to reach theaters in 2018. We’ll bring you more details as the story develops.